Grandparents Are Key To Keeping Kids Healthy — New Study

Grandparents are so important in a kid’s life — who else is going to make those delicious cookies!?! — but now researchers say they actually determine survival of the species!

Think about it: Grandparents provide unconditional love, financial support and other benefits that actually help youngsters stay fit and healthy! Swiss and Australian researchers have concluded that grandmothers in particular help survival of the species around the world, according to The Daily Mail.

For example, records in Finland show kids with relatively young grandmas were more likely to live longer than children with older grandmothers! And maternal grandmothers — the child’s mother’s mother — is the most nurturing! Scientists think it’s because they can be more certain than any other grandparent that the child is part of their genetic line, so it’s worth the investment.

Maternal grandfathers were shown to produce the second highest level of care, followed by paternal grandmothers. Paternal granddads generally have shown the least interest.

University of Western Australia researcher David Coall said some might be motivated to care for grandchild to have somebody take care of them when they’re old. If that’s the case, those grandparents will shower their attention on the kids most likely to take care of them in the future.

But it’s not all selfish motives — grandparents have been shown to be buffers from issues at home like divorce or parents fighting.

So interesting! Do YOU think your kids benefit from having their grandparents around? Do you agree with this study?